To ask which cooking ingredients you would never use own brand for?

[Babadookie]

I buy own brand for about 80-85% of our weekly shop, but I switched from supermarket tinned tomatoes to a more expensive brand last year and I swear I'll never go back. I find that the difference in the end result is night and day, and the dearer ones go so much further with flavour. I'm a cheapskate with everything else though 😁

What product would you never cut corners with?

Depends. The Asda smartprice one is really good!

Also next is not an ingredient but will only use Fairy liquid as it reminds me of my lovely late Grandma
@Bigslippers even with the "new improved fragrance" which is actually vile?
I've had to switch to Ecover non-scented as the smell of Fairy Liquid actually makes me feel ill now.

For everyone saying tinned tomatoes - Jamie Oliver said on his recent one pan wonder series to never by chopped toms at all but to buy plum and then mush them up (he did this with his hand as tipping in pan..). Maybe own brand plum will be on a par with expensive chopped?! (I've not tried it myself).

Kidney beans and salad cream.

Own brand food mostly is good food! I'd be willing to bet that in blind taste tests few people could tell the difference for many bog standard products. The difference in price is surely mostly accounted for by the lower spend on advertising, marketing and fancy packaging rather than cheaper/inferior ingredients.

i have a few go to branded condiments that I always buy on the basis that they make more mundane things taste better.

• eg any oil or dressing by mellow yellow
• mazetti chefs balsamic reduction (for salads - like being in a restaurant)
• helmans mayonnaise
• barts fajita powder
• tracklemeat chilli jam

bit of a random list really but all these things are lovely imho and worth splashing out on.

Mutti tinned tomatoes and passata
Heinz ketchup
Yeo yoghurt
Yorkshire tea bags
De Cecco or Rummo pasta
Lurpack

Mutti or Cirio tinned tomatoes. Napolina a poor, poor third. Own brands are pot luck, sometimes not bad and then a few months later the same own brand repurchased is like red acidic water.

The mellow yellow stuff is gorgeous

My coop has it. Although I'm relatively near the bakery.

Latest update on UK PM's Wikipedia page 😂

Sorry, wrong thread

No as I have the sugar feee version but it’s the only liquid I drink apart from the odd bottle of wine

baked beans it has to be branston ones here most other stuff i buy aldis versions their italian tinned tomatoes are very tasty not the basic ones the ones up from basic

Crumpets. Got to be Warburton's.
Heinz ketchup

Shirgar butter (from Ocado) is the butter of God's and probably still much cheaper than Lurpak. Agree that Jacksons bread is good, including their hot cross buns. Black sheep bread is amazing too, their tiger bread makes the best toast. Sainsburys bakery donuts are the best donuts but quite often sell out first thing. Vimto is probably the only squash I'll drink - dh prefers ribena - own brand squash is bit grim unless it's a high juice type. Mint magnums - not seen a good alternative? Oh and Tonys Chocolate.

Sorry - forgot the thread was asking cooking ingredients! Agree that chopped tom's vary in quality - I like mutti or cirio crushed tomatoes when I can afford, sometimes it just has to be cheap.

Not ingredients but I'm a huge tea drinker but I'm perfectly happy with Tescos or Sainsburys own brand tea. Fave tea is tetleys or Thompsons.

Maldon sea salt.

Jacobs Cream Crackers.
Heinz Beans.
Hellmanns Mayo.

Non-negiotables.

I tried Morrisons cheap version of Nutella, it was revolting

Only tea for me, store brand isn't that good

I only buy,
Hovis seed sensations bread
Kenco really rich instant coffee
Lurpak butter
Heinz beans
Fairy liquid

Anything else I will try to see what it's like. I live on my own so it's only my personal choice that matters.

Heinz ketchup, beans and cream of tomato soup, cheddars biscuits, marmite, coffee and loo roll!

Sainsbury's own brand tinned tomatoes are superior to branded tomatoes, the juice is more like a sauce as recommended by the late Antonio Carluccio

Scared to try Mutti tinned tomatoes in case they render my previous choices inedible. Maybe it’s better to have an uncultivated taste but stay richer?

I have a tin in the cupboard I bought after one of these threads. Need to use them